If you ever happen to run into UFC bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey on the street, it?s probably a good idea to avoid asking her about potentially colliding with Cristiane Santos if hoping to retain the function of both arms. Though Rousey isn?t opposed to seeing action against Santos under the right circumstances, she?s getting sick…
The post Ronda Rousey: ?There are a lot of girls that deserve that shot that haven’t cheated.? appeared first on Fighters.com.
When Rebecca Dodell and Fernando Albiar started dating, she wasn't much of an MMA fan. But she fell for the sport as their relationship grew more serious. Now, she attends UFC events and cheers on fighters with her fiance. The pair was in attendance at UFC 157 in Anaheim.
So when it came time to send out save the dates for their summer wedding, they decided to honor their favorite sport. In the front of the card, Dodell has the championship belt and Albiar has the interim. On the back, she has both because she's united the belts.
"It is who we are. Some of our family does not get it and some don?t like it. But this is us and we will continue to advocate for MMA," Albiar said.
Best wishes to the Mr. and Mrs. from Cagewriter.
As Dodell and Albiar prove, MMA fans are some of the most dedicated in sports. Do you have a story that shows just how dedicated you are to sport? Email it to Cagewriter for use in a future post.
A pound is typically seen as a relatively small amount of weight, especially when it comes to grown men throwing down inside the Octagon. Yet in the case of a recent bout between UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz, less than a pound has produced a huge debate about the legitimacy of their [...]
The post Nick Diaz?s team still not satisfied with Quebec commission?s handling of weigh-ins appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.
UFC featherweight Frankie Edgar wanted a fight with the potential to put him back in the discussion for a title-shot, calling out Cub Swanson in hopes of a crack at one of the division?s top contenders. However, rather than a rumble with Swanson, the former lightweight champion will instead see action against a man who [...]
The post Frankie Edgar facing Charles Oliveira at 162 appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.
Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2013/03/29/frankie-edgar-facing-charles-oliveira-at-162/
LAS VEGAS--It is impossible to determine exactly how many years of their lives Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado have snatched from one another over the course of two fights, but just like the first time, it should be crystal clear that both men deserve equal shares of respect from fans and media alike.
When a fight becomes so good that you simply don't care about scoring or cards or judges anymore, we wish we could just live in those brutal moments for as long as possible, and relish the knowledge that those moments were for us fans.
We may not have gotten another stoppage, and perhaps not quite the same level of blood and gore, but Mike Alvarado winning a unanimous decision over Brandon Rios was about as fun as we wished it would be.
So many overlooked "Mile High" Mike Alvarado coming into this rematch, and understandably so, given how much punishment he took and handed out in the first fight. There was seemingly no way either fighter could return for this gauntlet undamaged.
True to warrior form, both men took shots that nobody should've expected them to take and stay standing. Rios in particular somehow withstood shots that sent his sweat flying into the upper deck. But on they warred, sending fans into a frenzy with every exchange.
Round 1 was a bit bland if comparing to the first bout, but it woudn't last long. It couldn't. Already Alvarado's face was reddening, and in round 2, Rios hurt Alvarado with about as strong a jab as you'll ever see. With about one minute remaining, Alvarado found the gumption to stay upright and come back in the 3rd to wobble Rios with a huge right hand. The 4th round was slower, but only compared to the previous two, as Alvarado tried to set up his left hook. The tension throughout the venue could've drugged an elephant.
Things slowed down some in the 6th -- that is until the end of the round, when more trading brought the crowd to their feet. And the action remained brutal into the later rounds, with Alvarado finally working in his hook consistently, and Rios closing on him like a shark on a bloody carcass.
Up until the championship rounds, Alvarado had gotten chased to the ropes and smothered with leather between staying a ways away, but his face was beginning to fall apart and fill with crimson. But starting in the 10th, Alvarado was able to keep Rios at more of a distance than Rios wanted, leading to some visible frustration and clowning from the Oxnard native.
Perhaps the rounds and rounds of punches absorbed by Rios' excellent chin were taking a toll, or maybe he was tired. Maybe both. But the nasty exchanges were fewer and farther between in the last few rounds, while still remaining entertaining.
Scores of 115-113 twice, and 114-113 were booed by a mostly pro-Rios crowd, but the Alvarado contingent's roar of approval was deafening.
Words are likely not enough to accurately describe the entirety of this rematch, or the measure of these men. But when they're unleashed on each other inside a ring, beautiful things happen. Already talk of a rubbermatch is swirling around the boxing circles, and it's doubtful you'll see or hear any complaints.
The co-feature between junior welterweights Terance Crawford and Breidis Prescott proved to be less entertaining than expected, as Crawford took a unanimous decision by simply scoring more effectively and rarely stopping to trade. Perhaps the best thing about the fight was that it was action-deprived enough to make Rios-Alvarado look phenomenal in comparison, though that likely would have been the case no matter what.
After a few "feeling out" type of rounds that could have gone Prescott's way on aggression and forward momentum alone, Crawford settled into a rhythm, and that rhythm was walking Prescott around the ring and into his southpaw jab.
Crawford won't be burning any barns down anytime soon, unless he's forced to, but his style looks to be an effective one. Round after round, he set a clear distance with his feet, which forced Prescott to reach with most of his shots. When Prescott fell short, as he did more often than not, he was countered by a sharp southpaw right hook from Crawford, who mugged and smiled when it became clear that Prescott's frustration was growing.
Prescott's biggest issue was that he was relying on his punching power, which has indeed bailed him out in the past, but when he did land his vaunted right hand, the effect was minimal. Crawford continued to skip and angle away from him, and in the later rounds, even walked Prescott back with hard combinations.
With the situation looking dire for Prescott going into the 10th and final round, his corner frantically waved their hands as if to say "Throw more!" just off-camera, but it was not to be. For whatever reason, Crawford's style left the Colombian befuddled, and he couldn't muster what he needed.
The scorecards read 99-91, 97-93 and 100-90, all for Crawford, who remains undefeated at 20-0 (15 KO). Another lumbering loss brings Prescott to 26-5 (20 KO).
Source: http://www.queensberry-rules.com/2013-articles/march/rios-alvarado-2.html
Wladimir Klitscho David Haye Cornelius K9 Bundrage Miguel Cotto
Here's what you missed over the weekend in MMA if you were wrapped up in a baseball fight with actual punches thrown or a dunk that may have killed a guy (metaphorically speaking.)
-- Remember that Mark Hunt ? Junior dos Santos bout that UFC president Dana White said isn't happening? Now it is. MMA Fighting reports the two will meet at UFC 160 in May. Dos Santos was supposed to fight Alistair Overeem on that weekend, but an injury took Overeem out of the bout.
This will be dos Santos' first fight since losing the UFC heavyweight belt to Cain Velasquez. Hunt is currently riding a four-fight winning streak, with the most recent win coming over Stefan Struve on March 3.
-- UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson had successful surgery over the weekend to repair a torn labrum. The injury forced him out of his April 13 title defense. Johnson will find out later this week how long his rehab should last.
-- Lightweight Joe Lauzon's last bout was a memorable loss to Jim Miller at UFC 155. Damage from that fight caused considerable scar tissue in Lauzon's face. He is in (kinda gross) treatment to break the scar tissue up and hopes to return to action this summer.
Rocky Marciano Vitali Klitschko Wladimir Klitscho David Haye
Source: http://www.boxing-blog.com/index.php/amir-khan-ready-floyd-mayweather/
Source: http://www.ufc-video.co.cc/2012/10/bj-penns-daily-blogs-in-the-locker-room/
It’s just three days since 2013’s “boxing season” began in earnest, and the networks are of the impression that we haven’t realised that there’s not much on this week. Oh, we have. We’re just desperate after the long winter of boxing. Winter is a metaphor, because even though it actually was winter, it also wasn’t such a bountiful time for fans of the sweet science, geddit?
Source: http://www.fightmatrix.com/2013/03/13/ufc-158-odds-vs-ratings-03-16-2013/
Over the weekend, UFC president Dana White said featherweight champion Jose Aldo was refusing to take a fight with Anthony Pettis, the lightweight who was scheduled to fight Aldo in August. As Kevin Iole wrote, Aldo told White he didn't think Pettis had earned the title shot.
The fight is back on. Andre Pederneias, Aldo's manager, told SporTV in Brazil (with translation from our friends at Yahoo! Brazil) that Aldo will take the fight, with one condition:
?I had a meeting today (Monday) with Jos� Aldo, who said: ?I?m going to end with this clownery. People are saying that I?m running, so they are going to see who will run from who when the time comes. If you enjoy a brawl, you can buy the pay-per-view on August 3 and that's what you are going to watch because heads will roll?. At that moment I called Dana White to agree with the fight, but on one condition: after that fight, the winner gets a title shot at [lightweight]?.
White confirmed that the fight is on.
Yes Aldo vs Pettis and it's for Aldo's UFC 145lb title
? Dana White (@danawhite) February 26, 2013
ESPN is reporting that Aldo will get his wish, and that if he beats Pettis on Aug. 3, he will get a shot at the UFC lightweight belt. Benson Henderson is currently the title holder, and will fight Gilbert Melendez in April.
This means the UFC lightweight belt has a clear path for 2013. Pettis was supposed to be the next lightweight contender, but pushed for the Aldo fight because he didn't want to wait until the Henderson and Melendez fight was over.
Are you looking forward to seeing Aldo possibly fight for the lightweight belt? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
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UFC President Dana White didn?t have time to do blog for UFC 158: St-Pierre Vs Diaz, but even though it is not fight week until Monday, Dana put together a blog of him having some rest and relaxation with his friends in Maine. You can watch ?Nick the Tooth? eat the hottest hot sauce in…
The post Dana White: ‘Not Fight Week, Blog Week’ (VIDEO) appeared first on Fighters.com.
With Manny Gamburyan still dealing with injury, Nik Lentz will step in to face Hacran Dias at UFC on FX 8. The bout will take place on the evening’s FUEL TV preliminary card. UFC officials announced the switch earlier this week. Nik Lentz comes in to the bout with Dias after winning two straight since [...]
Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/33522/ufc-on-fx-8-lentz-faces-dias-with-gamburyan-out/
Source: http://www.boxing-blog.com/index.php/klitschko-brothers-issue-challenge-david-haye/
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Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado are not like most humans. They’re not even like most boxers, a class of people who, to varying degrees, must suppress their self-preservation instinct. At the lowest end, the “hit and don’t get hit” subset of stylists still know what they’re in for when they enter the boxing ring, because the mere act of stepping between the ropes requires an understanding that pain and punishment are inevitable. The “take two punches to give one” types have to tamp down the self-preservation instinct yet more, but Rios and Alvarado aren’t even like most of them, the brawlers who fight that way because it’s their best chance to win. Rios and Alvarado can. Not. Help. Themselves. They are adherents to the school of violence for violence’s sake. Rios grins like the Joker when he gets punched. Alvarado, apparently, indulges in casual extracurricular knife fights during training camp.
You could imagine well in advance how a fight between these two junior welterweights might play out, and that’s why the match was made last year. It’s why it was the Fight of the Year for 2012 and it’s why we’re getting a rematch Saturday on HBO.
The worst thing you can say about Rios-Alvarado II is that whereas last year it was viewed, nearly universally, as competitive, it is not this time. There a few answers to why we're still getting the rematch, none of them bad: The ending of the first fight was not so conclusive because the referee made a borderline call to step in and save Alvarado, but if not for the TKO loss, Alvarado might’ve had a chance to win a decision; Alvarado didn’t fight as well for the entirety of the fight as he could’ve and should’ve; and even if it’s not competitive, so what? – it will be thrilling for every second both of them are standing. Worst case scenario: It’s not as good as the first, but even this accounting of lackluster sequels features a number of fights that weren’t at all bad ones.
It does not hurt that these are two of the top 10 men in one of boxing’s best couple divisions, but it’s not the root of the match-up’s appeal. It’s the action, literally every second filled with it. As I mentioned last year in writing about why it was the Fight of the Year, the 5th round featured an average 2.6 punches thrown per second. And they were not meant, to borrow a metaphor from Ricky Hatton, to tickle.
Alvarado had the advantage the first time in better technique – he could box and move when he needed to, not that anyone other than Richard Abril could box and move (and, yes, clinch) against Rios for 12 rounds without being forced to trade at times. He was also thought to be the bigger man, as Rios was moving up in weight after several fights straining to make 135.
Rios, though, proved the harder hitter of the two, and it looked like he handled the punches better at 140 than 135, which makes sense given that he was surely drained badly at lightweight. Alvarado did have a reach advantage, and when he kept things on the outside, he fared better. Alvarado has a jab and a long right hand which were his most effective, if not most punishing, blows of the first fight. Rios, meanwhile, is far happier on the inside, firing away hooks to the head and body and uppercuts.
Rios has talked about improving his defense for the rematch, but he’s mostly hopeless because he is totally unwilling. His skill is on the offensive end, though you will occasionally see him slip a punch if it’s going to help him set up his own offense. Alvarado is more offense than defense, too, but he’s not as flat-footed and has better upper body movement. Both could be better defenders if they really wanted, but Alvarado has more capacity to protect himself, although neither would suddenly become Floyd Mayweather-style geniuses even if that’s all they practiced.
Here, a note must be made of how Rios has been practicing. He is doing so with Angel Heredia, the controversial strength and conditioning coach once affiliated with BALCO and whose work with Juan Manuel Marquez has led to intense public doubt about the validity of Marquez’s knockout of Manny Pacquiao. Perhaps Heredia’s methods are valid; perhaps they are not. The facts are, Marquez was far more physically enormous and muscular under Heredia than before him, and his punching power superior in the last Pacquiao bout. If Rios can acquire the same gains, the knock that Rios-Alvarado II will “be just like the first fight, only shorter” becomes a virtual certainty.
With the kind of damage these two men have done to each other, and how much they’ve endured their whole careers, it’s possible that one or both of them might be at a bit less than his peak ability to sustain more, and Alvarado’s hopes would be boosted by a diminished Rios. Alvarado’s case probably rests most on his ability to fight smart. It’s what he has said he intends to do – stay on the outside more, not get dragged into fighting so often. Rios is counting on Alvarado abandoning those pretenses once the brawl is afoot, however. And if Alvarado is brawling in his spare time, it’s difficult to imagine him not brawling when he’s got another brawler in front of him, ready to brawl it out.
Ipso facto: “Just like the first fight, only shorter.” And gladly received.
Cornelius K9 Bundrage Miguel Cotto Manny Pacquiao Ricky Hatton
Nick Diaz is not known for holding his tongue. Just days before he gets a shot at the UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, Diaz let his true feelings on GSP be known. While on a Toronto radio show, Diaz said he thinks St-Pierre uses steroids.
"I believe that he's on plenty of steroids and I don't believe they've tested him as well," Diaz said. "I don't care what they're saying or marketing to the media. I don't think either of us are going to be tested. ... I doubt they're standing over him, making sure he's not on steroids."
Diaz has tested positive twice for marijuana, which is a banned substance. He is coming off of a suspension for testing positive, and has been warned that he may be released by the UFC if he tests positive again. St-Pierre hasn't tested positive in his career of more than 10 years.
But Diaz is far from the only person who has criticized the UFC's handling of drug tests. Victor Conte, the head of BALCO, has said the UFC doesn't do enough to keep performance-enhancing drugs out of the sport. The head of the United States Anti-Doping Association has also questioned the UFC's drug testing.
Though drug testing and regulation is often handled by the UFC for international fights, this weekend's bouts in Montreal will be regulated by the commission in Quebec.
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�Now that UFC 158: St-Pierre Vs Diaz is in our rear view mirror, and now that Georges St-Pierre has defended his title against Nick Diaz, the UFC has released a video that gives us a behind the scenes footage surrounding the biggest MMA main event of the year. Take a quick look at just portion…
The post UFC 158: St-Pierre Vs Diaz Backstage Pass (VIDEO) appeared first on Fighters.com.
UFC 158 in Montreal featured a huge knockout, a disappointing if unsurprising title bout, and a few snoozers on the main card. Complete results:
Georges St-Pierre def. Nick Diaz via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45): After Diaz asked for the fight with GSP for years, he came out flat against the champion. Diaz couldn't stop GSP's takedowns, and was controlled for the entire bout. When they were on their feet, GSP landed jabs at will. Diaz never found his rhythm.
Johny Hendricks def. Carlos Condit via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28): Hendricks knew he had to get an exciting win to not just beat Condit, but to impress the UFC enough to get a title shot. He did it with a thrilling, back and forth fight that had Hendricks throw everything but the kitchen sink at Condit, who somehow withstood all the striking. Hendricks also used takedowns to neutralize Condit.
After the fight, Hendricks asked for a title shot against George St-Pierre. He even offered to fly to GSP's house and hire a ref for their bout. It's Hendricks' sixth win in a row. The fight was also good enough to win $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses for each fighter.
Jake Ellenberger def. Nate Marquardt via KO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:00: This fight helped make UFC 158 its pay-per-view price. Ellenberger moved in as Marquardt tried to throw a kick, and Ellenberger landed a big left-right combo that sent Marquardt to the ground. He then followed up on the ground until the fight was stopped. Though Marquardt protested the stoppage, replays showed he was out face-first on the canvas. The knockout earned Ellenberger a $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus.
Chris Camozzi def. Nick Ring via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28): As you tuned into this fight, did you wonder why it was put on the pay-per-view? You're not alone. They both had trouble getting after each other enough to land strikes.
Mike Ricci def. Colin Fletcher via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27): The two "The Ultimate Fighter" runners-up put on a fight that didn't exactly create excitement for fighters found on the reality show. They both dragged each other down and didn't create much offense.
Patrick Cote def. Bobby Voelker via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28): Cote started strong on the way to his close win over Strikeforce product Voelker, but had trouble defending Voelker's takedowns and strikes late in the fight.
Darren Elkins def. Antonio Carvalho via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 3:06: This is one of those fights that will cause MMA fans to shake their heads. Elkins weakened Carvalho with a left hook, but after Carvalho stummbled, refereee Yves Levigne stopped the fight. Carvalho protested, but there was nothing that could be done.
Jordan Mein def. Dan Miller via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:42: Count Jordan Mein as one of the Strikeforce fighters who has made a big, exciting debut in the UFC. After nearly getting caught in an armbar, he knocked out Miller, who had previously never been knocked out.
John Makdessi def. Daron Cruickshank via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28): Makdessi took a tight but fun bout over Cruickshank, who started the fight well by landing several leg kicks. But Makdessi came back in the later rounds with his patented spinning kicks. Cruickshank returned the favor with plenty of big kicks, and the fight easily could have gone in either direction.
Rick Story def. Quinn Mulhern via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:05: Story gave Strikeforce product Mulhern a rude welcome to the UFC. Story took advantage of Mulhern by knocking him to the canvas and following with strikes until the fight was stopped.
T.J. Dillashaw def. Issei Tamura via KO (strikes) - Round 2, 0:26: In the second round, Dillashaw landed a huge knee and dropped Tamura. He followed up with strikes until the fight was stopped.
George Roop def. Reuben Duran via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
UFC President Dana White let fans know more cuts would be coming after a chunk of competitors were trimmed from the roster in February. However, minus a few releases related to behavior outside of the Octagon, all had been relatively quiet on the free agency front?until now, that is. According to a report from MMAOpinion, [...]
The post Josh Neer, three others released by the UFC appeared first on Five Ounces of Pain.
Source: http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2013/03/28/josh-neer-three-others-released-by-the-ufc/
Fans are invited to pre-event festivities for the next major UFC event, UFC on FOX 5. 
A bill to create an athletic commission in South Dakota is going nowhere fast, largely thanks to the ignorance of Gov. Dennis Daugaard and state house Rep. Steve Hickey.
Their primary objective is to ban sanctioned mixed martial arts in the state. In a blog post, Hickey writes that, "MMA Cage Fighting is the child porn of sports."
The lack of knowledge and the lack of research both Daugaard and Hickey showed about MMA has to be frightening for persons who live in South Dakota. If they can't be bothered to do the minimal research required to learn that MMA is far safer than other "mainstream" sports, including football, it's scary to think about the laws they'll pass in the state regarding education, health care and budgets.
The UFC is the largest MMA promoter in the world. No fighter has ever suffered traumatic brain injury, let alone died, in the UFC's 20-year history. A 2006 study done by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and which appeared in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found MMA has far less traumatic brain injury than other sports.
Mixed Martial Arts competitions have changed dramatically since the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993. The overall injury rate in MMA competitions is now similar to other combat sports, including boxing. Knockout rates are lower in MMA competitions than in boxing. This suggests a reduced risk of TBI [traumatic brain injury] in MMA competitions when compared to other events involving striking.
MMA events must continue to be properly supervised by trained referees and ringside physicians, and the rules implemented by state sanctioning?including weight classes, limited rounds per match, proper safety gear, and banning of the most devastating attacks? must be strictly enforced. Further research is necessary to continue to improve safety in this developing new sport.
A 2008 study released by the British Journal of Sports Medicine reached the same conclusions. After a five-year study, its authors wrote:
Injury rates in regulated professional MMA competition are similar to other combat sports; the overall risk of critical sports-related injury appears low. Additional study is warranted to achieve a better understanding of injury trends and ways to further lower injury risk in MMA.
The simple fact is that a random NFL player is at far greater risk of a serious brain injury than is a random MMA fighter. Sadly, neither Gov. Daugaard nor Rep. Hickey bothered to do much investigation or educate themselves before speaking out.
South Dakota state house Rep. Mark Johnston introduced a bill to create an athletic commission in the state for the express purpose of making the sport safer. According to the Argus Leader, Johnston said his goal is to prevent unregulated events where tragedies could possibly occur.
A state athletic commission's job is, at the core, to protect the fighters. It makes sure the proposed matches are fair and that promoters have doctors and an ambulance at all events. The commissions also require qualified referees, who stop fights when one fighter is in danger. It also requires fighters to undergo extensive medical examinations before fighting to make certain they are fit to compete. States such as Nevada, California and New York, with strong commissions, have discovered injuries fighters didn't know they had and prevented them from competing. That wouldn't be the case in South Dakota, with no commission to require those tests.
A fear of many states with strong commissions is that promoters will travel across state lines to put on shows in states such as South Dakota, where there is no regulation and where, as a result, costs are less. But the result is that it is far less safe for the competitors.
Sadly, neither Daugaard nor Hickey recognize that. Hickey told the Argus Leader he was angered by the thought of his state sanctioning MMA.
I'm offended that the state would legitimize cage-fighting and the bloody violence that those kinds of spectacles create. I think it's interesting that we declare that it is a crime for one human being to strike another, and yet the state now proceeds to legitimize, and label a sport, cage-fighting.
With all due respect, Gov. Daugaard, a few points:
? It is a crime for one human to strike another outside of the bounds of athletic competition. But it is no crime to strike another in the context of sport and when doctors and referees are available to protect the athletes and where the athletes have signed a contract to compete against each other.
? MMA fights sometimes get bloody. But no fighter to my knowledge has ever suffered anything worse than scarring as a result of being cut. It is important to note that a lot of the cuts are on the forehead above the eyes, where they mix with sweat and make them seem far worse than they are.
? States that have athletic commissions ban fighters who have sustained head injuries from competing again for several months. And before even being allowed to practice in a gym, the fighter needs to be cleared by a doctor.
? MMA is a combination of sports, many of which are already legal in South Dakota, including boxing, wrestling, karate, jiu-jitsu and judo.
Rebellion Media is looking to hire developers for its MMA websites (the word “developers” is apparently secret code for “computer dudes”). You can find the job posting here. Here’s the description for the position: You?ll be building out a technology platform to power editorial and community focused websites primarily in our rapidly expanding Sports division.…
The post Rebellion Media Hiring Developers for MMA Websites appeared first on Fighters.com.
(Grimsby’s Kevin Hooper as photographed by Jon Corken for The Grimsby Telegraph)
Some fighters rattle on about hard work and dedication as if they hold a monopoly on them. Floyd Mayweather uses it as his gym mantra in fact but there aren’t many that can match Grimsby lightweight Kevin Hooper. He goes for the English junior lightweight title in Cleethorpes this weekend, against Dewsbury’s sweetheart Gary Sykes -- and he took time out from his manic schedule to talk to TQBR.
“I’ve got two jobs,” Hooper explained. “I work as a security guard (at an inner-city retail centre) and a doorman as well. I’m up early in the morning training and then it’s work, training after work, night runs…I mean, I put it in.”
A husband and father of three, boxing has had to vie for his attention with working around the clock. The Midlands Area champion, unbeaten in 13 contests, has his hands full, and then some. He details a schedule that would make others balk. “It’s sacrifices I have to make,” he insisted. “If I want to go somewhere then I’ve got to make them, so that’s what I do. If I’m successful in this fight it should open doors up and -- touch wood -- I get a bit of full-time sponsorship.”
It’s humbling to hear him talk about the ongoing struggle of fighting part-time and while it irks Hooper that he has to cram professional sport in between paying the bills, he doesn’t let that dampen his outlook -- “It does bother me but if you want to get somewhere you’ve gotta put it in,” he said.
“Super” Hooper moves into a higher class against former British champion Sykes, 22-3 (5), who at 29, is the older man by a year. Despite having beaten cross-Pennine rival Anthony “Million Dollar” Crolla on separate occasions, Sykes has found it hard to catch a break. A potential life-altering HBO date in Vegas against the brash Ohio boxer Adrian Broner slipped agonisingly through his grip after the show was scrapped at the last minute. His only competitive action over the past 12 months has been a three-round elimination tournament up at lightweight (Sykes was edged out in the final by Manchester lefty Terry Flannigan). One senses that the prospect of facing Hooper hasn’t lit a fire beneath Sykes in the same way “The Problem” managed to. If so, he could be in trouble.
“I’m a lot hungrier,” Hooper said. “He’s hoping for a rematch with (Gary) Buckland and I think he’s overlooked me and come Friday night he’ll see that. I think he took his eye off the ball and is looking beyond me.”
Despite feeling slighted, Hooper acknowledges his opponent is “a quality lad."
“I need a good, strong performance to beat a fighter like Gary Sykes,” he admitted. “I’ve prepared hard for it, mentally and physically. He’s well known and, obviously, I’m up-and-coming and to take that from him -- it’s going to be massive. I’ve worked hard on tactics. I know he’s a good boxer and that he’s going to come at me -- as long as I stick to my boxing I’ll be fine.”
His speaks admiringly of Ricky Hatton and Paul Ingle -- relentless fighters -- highlighting Ingle’s head movement along with his courage. Family is never far from his mind: “I hope I can go far. I want to progress and work hard for ‘em. I just want to get to the top,” he said. “During training camp, I have to sacrifice family life and spend little time with the kids -- it’s hard.”
Once Friday rolls around, Hooper plans to make amends for his imposed absence by spending time at home in Grimsby, a seaport on the Humber Estuary. The aim is to relax with his family until the fight looms into view. “From when the fight’s made like, obviously you think it through -- all the different scenarios. But I’m quite calm to be fair -- I’m just excited about it," he said. "I had my check weigh-in yesterday and I was 9 stone 4 lbs and 6 ozs, so I’m perfect. I’ve done it easier than I’ve ever made lightweight. I’m hungry, it’s my home turf and I’ll do what it takes to win.”
If he can, you sense it will have been worth all of the hard yards.
26 year old UFC Heavyweight Christian Morecraft is walking away from mixed martial arts. The seven and three Morecraft has lost his last two fights via knockout, and in his statement on facebook, he says the difficulty of juggling his life, training and still working a full time job are the main reasons he is…
The post Christian Morecraft Walks Away From Fighting appeared first on Fighters.com.
Source: http://www.fighters.com/03/26/morecraft?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=morecraft
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The Inside MMA viewer submissions keep getting better. Check out this unbelievable spinning backfist from a 62 year old ex green beret, and two near double KO’s. As always keep sending Inside MMA your highlights and they’ll keep airing them!
Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/33483/inside-mma-viewer-submissions/
Football players training in MMA is nothing new. NFLers including Aldon Smith, Jared Allen and Arthur Jones train with some of the sport's best fighters in the off-season.
Former players have gotten into MMA, as well. Herschel Walker had a storied career on the football field before he started with Strikeforce. Matt Mitrione played for several NFL teams before becoming a heavyweight in the UFC.
But a current pro football player in a fight? That's different. Chad Owens, who won the Canadian Football League's Most Outstanding Player last season and whose team won the Grey Cup, is debuting in a fight in Hawaii on Apr. 6. He will fight Junyva Tevaga at Destiny: Na Koa III, in the bout that is both men's MMA debut.
According to Owens, he's looking for a new challenge.
"I wanted to get into something new. A new challenge. Something to keep me hungry. I always wanted to get into it sometime and this off season I thought would be the perfect time," Owens said to Hawaii News Now.
According to the Toronto Star, Owens is not in danger of breaching his contract with the fight. Still, do you think it's a risk worth taking? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
Thanks to the 55-Yard Line.
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The World Series of Fighting returns to action tonight for WSOF 2. Despite some issues with the cage, tonight’s fight card will take place at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Tonight’s card will take place tonight on the NBC Sports Network and be headlined by a heavyweight fight between Anthony Johnson and [...]
Magnanimous Phil Davis says Vinny Magalhaes needs to learn a lesson the hard way, and he's more than happy to be the guy who teaches it to him.Source: http://mmalice.com/videos/ufc-159-phil-davis-pre-fight-interview-video_rd9syuuh.html
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The UFC gave a backstage look at Georges St-Pierre's win over Nick Diaz at UFC 158, complete with an adorable shot at the end of GSP high-fiving a young fan who was dressed like the champ from head to toe.
According the GSP's trainer, Firas Zahabi, it's a fight the UFC welterweight champion went through with despite an injury. Zahabi said GSP injured his Achilles tendon during training for the fight, and it may have worsened during the bout.
"I was worried it would tear during the fight," Zahabi told MMAFighting.com. "We had to cut his last sparring [session] short due to his injury. He had a week to rest it and then the fight."
Does finding out that GSP was injured changed your opinion of his performance? Speak up in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter.
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(Hugo Centeno, Jr. pops Keandre Leatherwood; photo credit: Tom Casino, Showtime)
You would think that if one boxer beat another by a near shutout, he'd walk away shiny and glorious, especially if he was a prospect facing his most difficult opponent to date on ShoBox. Yet, Friday on Showtime's prospect-featuring program, junior middleweight Hugo Centeno, Jr. handled Keandre Leatherwood with relative ease on the scorecards but came out with a slightly dinged up rep.
That's OK. This was an awkward style match-up that showed some work Centeno needed to do if he's to beat superior physical specimens, which is another of the ideas of the program -- ShoBox is not a prospect showcase, ideally, as much as it's a proving grounds for talented youngsters. Both Centeno and Leatherwood have talent (Centeno had won acclaim as a sparring partner for the likes of Peter Quillin and Paulie Malignaggi), but neither have yet to harness it. The fight showed they had more to prove, and this is the kind of lesson a boxer can use to grow on.
Leatherwood was faster, and, when he landed solid shots, landed them better and more accurately. Centeno, though, was more active, and held a better grasp on that elusive "ring generalship," and at least early, appeared to be the better technical fighter who worked a sharp jab. As the fight wore on, though, Centeno got a bit sloppier, and some smart boxing writers on Twitter attributed some of his shortcomings to a lack of physical strength on a gangly frame. Leatherwood's penchant for holding also contributed. In the end, Centeno came out with a unanimous decision where there was an argument for Leatherwood winning a round or two, but the danger Leatherwood flashed with his speed and accuracy never mounted into a full-throated threat.
On the undercard, Braulio Santos made a much more definitive impression against Kevin Hoskins, blitzing him for a stoppage win in less than a minute. The featherweights felt each other out very briefly before Santos sneaked a powerful left hook between Hoskins' gloves that wobbled him badly, and followed it up with a series of punches before another left hook rendered his upper and lower body paralyzed in sequence. He rose, but was too unsteady to continue. Showtime's broadcasting team got all hot and bothered over Santos' win, and it was his best win to date, but it also was just his 10th win and 1st round knockouts can be fluky. That said, it was far from a bad thing, and it was the kind of showing that would make folk want to see more of Santos before long.
UFC welterweight Johny Hendricks may be happy to have finally earned a title-shot but he?s certainly not satisfied. The bearded brawler is coming off an impressive outpointing of Carlos Condit at UFC 158 to add to the six-fight run he?s currently on. However, to beat champion Georges St-Pierre, Hendricks will not only have to be…
The post Johny Hendricks Aiming to Improve Before Bout with Georges St-Pierre appeared first on Fighters.com.
MMAjunkie.com returns from vacation with UFC on FOX 5 main-card fighter Matt Brown (in studio) and his opponent, Mike Swick, who both join today's show.
During their main event bout at UFC 157, Liz Carmouche took Ronda Rousey's back and had her in a neck crank. The crank was so deep that Rousey inadvertently bit Carmouche's arm. But Rousey told the Fuel TV aftershow that she was never worried about submitting to Carmouche. Instead, she was concerned about a wardrobe malfunction.
?On the ground I feel so comfortable in every position, so I never feel in danger and I take a lot of risks. I felt fine with her on my back. I was more concerned with my sports bra staying on while she was choking me because I felt safe and in control," Rousey said.
Rousey won a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics in judo, so submissions have been part of her life for a long time. In fact, Rousey has spoken often about how her mother taught her judo by waking her up with an armbar. While the neck crank was uncomfortable, it wasn't new.
What is new is having to worry about a sports bra not doing its job. Come on, sports bra. You had one job. Thankfully, it did stay in place, and Rousey went on to submit Carmouche seconds before the end of the first round.
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The UFC officially opened its cage door to women on Saturday night, when bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey defended her belt with an armbar win over Liz Carmouche. Several more women have been added to the women's bantamweight division. The list includes Cat Zingano and Sara McMann, who are the first mothers to join the UFC.
For Zingano, her six-year-old son Braden is the main reason she stopped into Zingano BJJ, the gym run by her now-husband. While trying to get back into shape after her son's birth, she stopped in to see a friend who was training at Zingano BJJ. She tried jiu-jitsu and lost the baby weight in three weeks.
With a background in wrestling and new BJJ training, she wanted to try a fight, just once. Since then, she has gone 7-0 with just one win coming by decision. Zingano will fight former Strikeforce bantamweight champion Miesha Tate on April 13 in a title eliminator.
Zingano knows that her journey is not just about her. She has to take her son into consideration with every fight.
"I have to consider what this looks like to my child. Every fight I go into, hands up. I don't want to explain to my child why I have stitches across my face," Zingano said. "I really want him to see my job as positive. Yes, injuries happen, and things can go wrong in a cage. Being so young, I want him to know that this is about passion, it's about an outlet for me that I love."
McMann won a silver in wrestling at the 2004 Olympics, becoming one of the first women to earn a medal in the sport. She finished second at the Olympic Trials in 2008, and decided to retire from wrestling. That's when she had her daughter, Bella.
But McMann is driven by competition, and before long, MMA drew her in. She won her first amateur bout in 2010, and went pro with a first-round submission in May of 2011. McMann's pro record is 6-0, and she is waiting for her first UFC bout.
McMann's reasons for fighting are not about getting money or fame. She is drawn in by the competition, and wants to be the fighter her daughter is proud of.
"I won't ever do things that are outside my character to gain followers. I won't fight in a way that people want to see. I'm going to fight in a way I think is great and true to me, which happens to be entertaining also. Competition is an extremely personal thing for me. I put my life into it. I won't be swayed at every turn by what fans and media want. I'm going to be me."
Bella is now four, and McMann said that becoming a mother has actually made her more competitive.
"I've actually become more aggressive since I've had my daughter. Before I had her, you couldn't really get me angry enough to be violent [outside of fights]. Now, if someone messes with her? I will hurt them."
Zingano echoes McMann on protectiveness of her son.
"There definitely is a maternal instinct to go into it. When I'm training and I really need to dip into something, and I think if me and my child are in the woods and something or someone is attacking us, I'm going to defend his life with everything I have. It's easy to relate. When someone has their arms around my neck, I think I have to be here for my child. Nothing's going to stop me."
But with jobs very different than most mothers, Zingano joked that she does sometimes stick out when she picks up her son at daycare. It can make it difficult to get playdates.
"I'll go to my son's daycare, and I have my hot pink streaks in my hair, and my buff arms, I dress casually and everybody knows because Braden will tell them, 'My mom's a fighter and I'm going to be a fighter when I grow up!' I'll try to set up a playdate and they'll say, 'Um, I'll call you."
Source: http://www.mmatko.com/tuf-17-quarterfinals-tonight-on-fx-preview-video/
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Now that former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida defeated Dan Henderson he is all set for a title shot. However, his manager Ed Soares has recently said that one of his main goals is to stay busy in the octagon. That means if the winner between Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen were to be…
The post Ed Soares: “Machida wants to get in there and stay busy.” appeared first on Fighters.com.
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Diego Sanchez may soon have his first fight in more than a year.
If spoil sports aren't your flavor, perhaps a pair of refreshing counter left hook knockouts from the past weekend can cleanse the palate? Edgar Sosa did in Ulises Solis with one in a meaningful flyweight bout, finally scoring a victory over his thrice-rival. Junior lightweight Argenis Mendez, too, got his revenge in a rematch against Juan Carlos Salgado. It was the snazzier of the two counter left blows. It's not available in a way I can share right now, but keep looking for it on YouTube et al in the coming days if you haven't seen it.
Via an alphabet belt mandatory shot, Sosa has a rich opportunity to take out the weakest of all the lineal champions, Toshiyuki Igarashi, or else strengthen him as worthy of the designation. Mendez faces a wasteland of potential challengers for his alphabet belt -- the next guy in line, Rances Barthelemy, didn't even deserve (by popular consensus) to win his eliminator against Arash Usmanee.
But what, you ask, of Bernard Hopkins? What of Friday Night Fights? The team has already covered most of the rest of the past weekend's action, but there's always room for more afterthinking.
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